Is Your Dispensary Suffering From Poster-itis?

Talking about overload I recently paid a visit to three offices that I designed some years ago. The owners were all very happy with the design and the increased growth and profits they were experiencing.

But two out of three dispensaries were suffering from "poster-itis"—too many posters standing all over the place. There were posters on the shelves, posters on the dispensing tables, on top of showcases and even on the floor!

All these posters made the dispensary look cluttered and crowded. Clutter is the enemy in the dispensary and poster-itis is usually the main culprit.

Posters on the floor or on top of showcases or displays are an absolute NO-NO! This does absolutely nothing to help you sell frames. So if you are guilty, lay down the law to everyone who works in the dispensary—no more posters on the floor!

The only place to use posters is on a shelf next to the brand of frames depicted. Here is the rule: You may only use ONE poster per shelf. Spreading multiple posters across the same shelf is another NO-NO!

Now if you don't care about selling more higher priced frames you can ignore this advice. If what you are after is a dispensary that looks like a bargain basement, go wild with the posters. Jam them in and don't leave an empty spot anywhere. It will look cheap and communicate to patients that they should expect bargain basement prices.

There is only one cure for poster-itis: Take them ALL out! Then pick out only ONE per brand name and put it back in next to that brand of frames.

The dispensary will probably look bare to your eyes when you get all those posters out of there, but believe me, the patients won't think so. Less posters means less distraction for the patients. They will be able to focus better on the frame styles and colors without a jumble of posters vying for their attention.

Best of Paris

These two photos show one of the best optical shops I found in Paris. It couldn't be more than 10 or 12 feet wide, but the curving walls and soffit above help to distract the eye from the long narrow shape. The window display on the left is small but very eye-catching. I often use these type of cubicle displays in my designs because they work so well for upscale eyewear.

The use of light maple and dark cherry wood for the interior is nothing new, but balanced very nicely. Using dark wood at the back wall makes that wall seem closer than it really is. A bevy of halogen lights in the ceiling give the whole place a warm inviting feel. I'm sure this place is a magnet for shoppers looking for high fashion frames.

French But Funky

You'll rarely see the words French and funky in the same sentence, but when you combine antique style chairs with in-your-face color and top it off with pop art, what else can you call it? This place has a hip, fun point of view that's bound to attract a hip, fun clientele.

The front window, though, is a disaster zone. The pink miniature couch is cute and colorful but there's just too much "stuff" in this display. Mon Dieu, mon ami! Less is more!

Parisian Sunday Strollers

Hot fashion sunglasses were everywhere in Paris, the bigger the frame, the blacker the lens, the better. Saw a fair amount of aviators too.

Effective Leadership = Higher Profits

An effective leader is the key to any successful team. In Get Everyone in Your Boat Rowing in the Same Direction leadership expert Bob Boylan teaches you how to push your team to its full potential.

If you asked your employees the question, "Who are we, anyway?", would they all know the answer? Would you get different answers or just a blank look? As a leader it's your job to communicate to employees:
1. What's important around here
2. Where we are headed
3. What we stand for

Boylan says when everybody knows and believes in these three things, you've got a group of people working toward the same goal. And that translates into higher productivity and more profits.

I love this book. It's a short and simple read with great ideas you can put into action in your practice right away. Maybe you're not a born leader, but you if you don't learn to lead your people, your practice will never reach its full potential.

Some wise man once said, "Your level of success in life depends on how well you can get things done through other people." This book will help you step it up a level or two. And what's more it's only $9.95 at Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/34hydm

Photos: Vision Source of Texarkana

This office was completed in November, 2006. Dr. Mark Allen reported a 21% increase in average revenue per exam within their first 3 weeks in the new facility.

Dr. Allen was very concerned about how to display and sell more high end frames without losing patients who were looking for more moderate priced frames. The solution was to create a high fashion boutique within the optical defined with a barrel-vaulted uplit ceiling and columns. The see-through showcases divide the reception counter from the optical.

The high end frames are shown off in cubicles that are individually lit with halogen strip lights. The moderate priced frames are presented on frame bars and glass shelves built in to the wall.



We'll have more photos of this office up on our new website soon.

Fabulous French-Italian Retail Tour April 4-23, 2007

I'll be in Paris and Italy for three weeks in April to scout out the best in French and Italian retail design! I'll be cruising through some of the finest optical shops (like Alain Mikli in Paris) and the best boutiques and retail shops in Venice, Florence and Rome.

Naturally, we'll do a bit of museum hopping too, but my main intent is to steep myself in world class merchandising, design and architecture for creative inspiration. In today's global economy people's tastes are getting to be more similar according to their income group than their geographic location.

Many of my clients are opening new locations in high income areas or wanting to attract more high income patients. People who want high quality merchandise also expect high quality interior design whether they live in Paris, France, Toledo, Ohio or Palm Beach, Florida.

On the other hand, stores like Target have shown us that great design isn't just for the rich. Target sells a whole line of Michael Graves kitchen wares and Isaac Mizrahi clothing and shoes. People with moderate incomes respond to great design, too.

I expect to come back from my trip with a boatload of ideas for display and design that I can translate and adapt to any income level. Of course, I will bring back photos too and you'll be the first to see them if you're one of my subscribers.

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